Every Rock a Universe

The Yellow Mountains (Huang shan) of China’s Anhui Province have been famous for centuries as a place of scenic beauty and inspiration, and remain a hugely popular tourist destination. One enraptured 17th century-visitor was poet and artist Wang Hongdu (1646-1721/1722), who recorded his impressions in a masterpiece of Chinese travel writing: Huangshan lingyao lu (A Record of Comprehending the Essentials of the Yellow Mountains). Here Professor Jonathan Chaves of The George Washington University presents the first complete translation of Wang’s work in a Western language, with extensive annotations. Wang’s newly rediscovered verse is also translated, showing him to be one of the most accomplished poets of his day. Introductory essays explore the history of scholarly and religious pilgrimage to the area, and the role of the Yellow Mountains in the great Neo-Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist revivals of the early Qing period, the center of a yearned-for cultural renaissance.